Library Notes
Rebecca Hyde
August 26, 2007


Should you buy an old piece of furniture that has been damaged? Should you try to repair a worn heirloom quilt? The following books offer advice on buying collectibles that show their age and on restoring items to preserve their value or usefulness.

"The Antiques Clinic: A Guide to Damage, Care and Restoration," by James Fielden, gives advice on looking at an object to determine its "general health": materials, stress points, and environmental factors that may affect its condition. For example, try to identify the different woods in a veneered or inlaid surface to see how they work in relation to each other. A veneered fruitwood surface may lift from a soft pine carcass if exposed to atmospheric changes because the two woods react at different rates. Fielden gives practical hints on general care: extending the supports for a gateleg table beyond 90 degrees strains the delicate knuckle joints on which the supports pivet. As for an old patchwork quilt, it should be examined for replacement patches that may detract from its value. An occasional worn patch is not serious: reinforce from behind, or protect with net, or do both, but don't replace it.

Judith Miller also offers guidance in the care of family treasures. Her book, "Care and Repair of Everyday Treasures," is a "step-by-step guide to cleaning and restoring your antiques and collectibles." Even if you are not going to undertake the repair of damaged needlepoint or the restoration of a caned chair seat, the description of materials, tools, and techniques may help when a professional's skills are needed.

For general information on the care of tapestries, embroidery, or clothing, read "The Care & Preservation of Textiles," by Karen Finch and Greta Putman. The authors are experts in the field of conservation, but the book is not a manual for professionals. It draws a clear line between basic housekeeping, which can be undertaken by anyone with "reasonable skills in washing and needlework," and cases in which the skills of a professional conservationist are needed.

In "A Passion for Antiques," Barbara Milo Ohrbach offers a tour of the antiques world. She touches on the motivations for collecting, and then sketches profiles of collectors (romantic, individualist, minimalist, connoisseur, free spirit). Close-ups of individual collectors include photographs of some amazing rooms and interviews. "Essentials of Antiques" offers information on broad categories (ceramics, silver, glass, textiles), with advice on care and professionals to consult. And finally, Ohrbach gives suggestions on where and how to shop, visit and dine, in a number of cities around the world for those on a quest for antiques.